by Ryan Field
But she caught him staring and pulled her skirt down to her knees. “I really do know how to take care of myself, so you can stop looking down there.”
He jerked to the right and straightened his back against the seat. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean anything. I’d never hurt you.” Then he forced an innocent smile. If she knew that he wanted to lift her dress up over her head, she probably would have slapped his face.
Chapter Three
For a month after she drove him home, Avenir began showing up at the bar on a regular basis. He sat on the same stool almost every night, sipping the same boring drink and staring straight ahead so he wouldn’t have to make eye contact with anyone else. Most of the women in town were interested in him, but he wasn’t interested in them. Sienna watched everything from a distance, waiting to see how he would react to these women. They’d flirt with him and he’d smile and blow them off. He was always polite and no one ever walked away frowning. And, he didn’t even turn to watch them leave. The only time he’d sit up and square his shoulders was when Sienna went up to him and asked if he wanted to order another drink. But mostly, she ignored him.
There were nights when Sienna felt an impulse to grab him by the shoulders and shake him, but she knew he didn’t mean any harm. And sometimes she even enjoyed the things he said. Like when he told her, “Don’t hold it against me because I’m a LaFramboise. I’m just a distant relative. I don’t even go by that name. I use the last name Lafram for business. I had it legally changed because I don’t like having a name that’s too difficult to pronounce.” When he said this, it was one of the few times she smiled at him. He really wasn’t anything like Robert, Karla, or Larson.
Sienna also enjoyed listening to the rest of the family talk about Avenir when he wasn’t around. She thought it was a bit peculiar when Avenir told her that he’d purchased that old estate on the cliff, Oceanview, and that he was moving in right away. But she enjoyed it when she overheard how insulted Robert and Karla were because Avenir hadn’t taken their expert real estate advice on buying local property. Karla would shake her head and tap her cocktail glass while Robert would ramble on about how stupid Avenir was to buy Oceanview. And Sienna would stand in silence outside the library door, eavesdropping with a huge grin on her face. She knew that they were more jealous than insulted. Now that Oceanview wasn’t deserted, Avenir had the largest estate and the biggest house on Mt. Desert Island. And this alone made both Karla and Robert grit their teeth and seethe. They’d wanted someone to tear the old place down for years. She was never sure why they hated the place so much, especially Robert. She figured they resented anyone with a larger estate than theirs.
But, in the same respect, Sienna didn’t want to get to know Avenir at all. It’s not because she didn’t find him attractive. She thought he was gorgeous. When he walked into the bar in a pair of tight jeans and a T-shirt, she found herself licking her bottom lip and turning away fast so he wouldn’t see her eyes. But that was just physical attraction, and she was too smart to let that cloud her judgment. There were two serious reasons she didn’t want to get involved with him: One, because he was related to the others, and two, because there was something about him that didn’t seem right. She couldn’t pigeonhole exactly why she felt this way, but the feeling tugged at her stomach whenever she saw him.
So on a Thursday morning in October she woke later than usual. She rubbed her eyes and smiled, because she knew she wouldn’t have to deal with Avenir at all that day. She was off on Thursdays, from her housekeeping job and her job at the bar. She had the entire day to herself, and on that particular day she was planning to bake her grandmother a homemade apple pie and bring it to the nursing home in the afternoon.
She rose from her bed and looked out the window. The leaves were already turning and she hadn’t even noticed. Then she showered and dressed fast so she could go over to her best friend’s house to bake the pies. Sienna lived in a small room over one of the garages on the LaFramboise property and all she had was a hot plate, a small refrigerator, and a coffee machine. And they wouldn’t allow her to use the kitchen in the main house to bake a pie for someone else. Karla had strict rules about what Sienna could and could not do in the main house. And it was always easier to follow those rules than it was to deal with Karla’s nagging.
She hated living this way, and she knew she had other options. But she’d decided to suffer through it for a few more years (but only a few) so she could continue to save money. Besides contributing to her grandmother’s nursing home care (Social Security didn’t cover it all), she was saving for law school. She already had an undergraduate degree. She’d earned a full scholarship to a state college and had managed to carry a full course load while working two jobs and maintaining an excellent grade point average at the same time. After graduation, she could have left her meager circumstances and moved away to a real job and a real home. She seriously considered Boston or New York. But she desperately wanted to be a lawyer and knew that if she took on a full-time job she’d never do it. She also didn’t want to leave her grandmother and her brother, Jaydin. The grandmother did well in the small country nursing home, and she’d never trusted Jaydin’s shady lover, Mickey.
On the drive to her friend’s house in Seal Harbor, Sienna slowed down when she passed Oceanview. The driveway was a mile long and you couldn’t see much from the road, but you could see the old Tudor mansion in the distance, sitting high and proud on the cliff. She knew Avenir worked at night and slept all day. He’d already told her that he was strange that way. When she found herself wondering what he wore to bed (boxers or briefs?), she shook her head, pushed his half-naked body from her thoughts, and hit the gas pedal.
Her best friend’s name was Grace. She lived in Seal Harbor on the top floor of large, old, white-clapboard Colonial with red shutters. When Sienna pulled into the driveway and saw that the only car there was Grace’s, she took a deep breath. Grace was known to date many men, so many Sienna couldn’t keep track. And you never knew when Grace was going to bring one of those men home for the night. This was one of the reasons Sienna and Grace weren’t roommates. Sienna didn’t judge, but she was a one- man woman, and Grace’s lifestyle would have kept her up too many nights wondering too many things if she’d lived there.
Sienna switched off the engine and reached to the passenger seat for a brown paper bag filled with freshly harvested Maine apples and the other ingredients. She baked her pies all year long, but this time of year was always best because the Maine apples were perfect. Then she got out of the car and closed the door with a soft click. She knew Grace was sleeping; Grace worked at Jaydin’s bar, too, and usually slept until noon.
The front of the apartment had a living room and dining room area, and a small kitchen near the entrance. The back had a bedroom and a bathroom. Sienna placed the bag on the white Formica counter gently. Grace knew she was coming over, and Sienna was thankful Grace allowed her to use the kitchen without asking for anything in return. So to show her thanks, Sienna was planning to bake two pies that morning: one for her grandmother and one for Grace.
She went right to work, cutting chunks of ice-cold butter into flour and gradually stirring ice water into the bowl until the dough gathered and pulled from the sides. When she was finished making the pastry, she patted it into four snug discs and placed them in the small refrigerator to chill while she prepared the apples. Ice-cold dough was the secret to a buttery, flaky pastry.
She squatted down and placed four pastry discs on the top shelf. And when she shut the door and stood up again, she pressed her palm to her chest and gasped. Larson was standing in the middle of the living room. He was leaning against the back of a brown vinyl sofa, with his bare feet crossed at the ankles and his arms folded across his chest. He had a huge smile on his face and not a stitch of clothing on his body.
Evidently, he’d spent the night with Grace.
He said, “Good morning.” His tone was light and casual. He didn’t seem
to think there was anything wrong with the fact that he was naked.
She turned away fast and faced the stove. “Go put something on, idiot,” she said.
He laughed and crossed to the small kitchen island and sat down on a stool. “Oh relax, Sienna. We grew up together and you’ve seen me naked before. It’s no big deal. We’re like sister and brother.”
She shook her head and frowned, always surprised when he said something like that. She knew he really didn’t mean anything offensive, and that he wasn’t trying to seduce her. She knew Larson didn’t think he was doing anything wrong. But she still didn’t like it. “Well, I don’t go walking around naked in front of you.”
He opened a cookie jar and shoved an Oreo into his mouth. Then he shrugged his shoulders and said, “I couldn’t care less if you did. It’s the human body. There’s nothing to be ashamed about.”
He didn’t think so. But it was a big deal for Sienna. She wasn’t every experienced with men, and she didn’t feel comfortable with a naked man in the room. “Just go put on your pants,” she said.
“Why?” He shoved two more cookies into his mouth at the same time.
She laughed and said, “Because it’s dangerous. Suppose I took a hot apple pie out of the oven and tripped. The pie could fall and splash hot apples all over you. And you wouldn’t want third-degree burns between your legs.”
He popped one more cookie into his mouth and said, “You have a point.” Then he loped and bounced back to the bedroom with a huge grin on his face.
A few hours later, both Grace and Larson emerged from the bedroom fully dressed. Grace placed her hand over her heart and said, “Oh my God, it smells so good in here.” She was wearing a tight black shirt and a white mini-skirt with white high heels. She was a tall, attractive young woman with short, dark brown hair and striking legs.
Sienna smiled and said, “I made one for you, too.”
Grace leaned over the counter and kissed her on the cheek. “I love it. Now I’m going to feel wonderful for the rest of the week.” Everyone in town swore that Sienna’s pies contained a magic ingredient that could work miracles. They could ease the symptoms of the common cold, calm the nerves, and make you feel as if you could conquer the world.
“It’s just a pie,” Sienna said, then she tipped her head to the side. Larson was looking into a small mirror over the television, arranging his hair and primping his eyebrows. Sienna leaned in and whispered, “You took Larson home last night?”
Grace shrugged. “He’s a dumb jock,” she whispered, “And trust me, it’s nothing serious. He’s not a bad guy, and he’s very sensitive in bed. He actually gave me one of the greatest massages I’ve ever had, and you don’t find a guy willing to do that every day.” She lowered her eyes and laughed. “And he does have one huge redeeming quality, too.”
Sienna laughed. “I know. I saw it this morning.”
When he heard them giggle, Larson asked, “What’s so funny?” His eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth was half open. “Are you talking about me?”
Sienna smiled and pressed her fingers to her lips. It was such a shame. He was so good-looking, but so dumb. “Nothing you have to worry about,” she said. She didn’t despise him like she did his parents. But she couldn’t take him seriously, either. He was, after all, one of them.
Then Grace picked up her purse and said, “C’mon, big boy. I’m dropping you off at the bar so you can get your car and after that I’m going to get new tires. Let’s go.”
He followed her out the door without thinking twice. On his way out she heard Grace yell, “And I’m driving. I’m not getting into a car with a maniac.”
Sienna pulled up to the nursing home a little after dusk that afternoon. She’d wanted to get there earlier, but she decided to take a nap while the pies were cooling and didn’t wake up until almost five. There was a cool breeze in the air and the sun had just gone down. It was one of those evenings that reminded her of Halloween and pumpkins and apple cider. Most people preferred Maine in the summertime, but this was the beginning of her favorite time of year. Everything seemed new and special.
As she crossed up the front walk, she smelled smoke coming from a chimney. She took a deep breath and inhaled. She knew her grandmother would be sitting in front of the fireplace with a pencil in one hand and a sketch pad in the other.
When she opened the front door and stepped into the hall, she smiled and nodded at an older woman who was passing by. Sienna knew all of them. This old Victorian house filled with the elderly wasn’t a typical nursing home, with sterile floors and cinder block walls. This was a place where people sat on old-fashioned divans and spent the days talking with their friends. They rocked on the front porch after lunch and stared up at the clouds in the sky. Most of the residents had known each other all their lives. And the people who ran the home treated the residents as if they were related to them. Whenever she crossed through the front door, she smiled at the fact that her grandmother was able to live in a place like this.
Her grandmother was sitting in the main parlor beside a burning fire, on a wing chair that was covered with a bright floral print. Sienna stopped and stared into the room. Then she pressed her lips together and frowned, because her grandmother wasn’t alone. Avenir was sitting on a matching wing chair on the other side of the fireplace. Her grandmother seemed to be the only one talking. Avenir sat there with his hands folded on his lap, nodding his head up and down.
How on earth did he know she’d be there that afternoon? Was he stalking her?
When he looked up and noticed Sienna, he smiled and stood. Sienna crossed toward them and placed the apple pie on a round table next to the sofa. She kissed her grandmother on the cheek and gave Avenir a confused look. “What are you doing here?”
He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “Someone mentioned that you usually come here on Thursday afternoons. I wanted to see you again, and to meet your grandmother. Gretchen has been telling me some interesting stories while we were waiting for you,” he said. “I just stopped by thinking that maybe I’d run into you today.”
“I was telling him that I was in Los Angeles, at the Ambassador Hotel’s embassy ballroom, the night Robert Kennedy was shot and killed. I was with a group that had been marching for civil rights in the south a month earlier and we were celebrating Bobby’s California victory.” Gretchen lowered her head to her lap and frowned. “We had such high hopes that night.”
Sienna forced a smile for her grandmother’s sake. Avenir had no right to follow her here. Her fists were clenched at her sides, but she didn’t want to cause a scene and upset her grandmother. Gretchen, the eternal flower child from the l960s, looked good that afternoon. Her long red hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail and she was wearing her favorite African caftan. There was a pale shade of pink on her lips and her blue eyes looked clear and bright. When she spoke, her voice went up with a lilt and her words were articulate. And lately, she hadn’t had many good days. Her mind was failing and her body was breaking down, and the thought of losing her brought tears to Sienna’s eyes.
“It sounds like your grandmother has led a very interesting life,” Avenir said.
Gretchen lifted her head and smiled. “I have,” she said. “And best of all, I lived long enough to see some of the things we fought for back then become a reality. I have such high hopes for our new president.” Then she pressed her lips together and looked into Sienna’s eyes. “I only wish I’d been a better mother to my daughter. I should have been around more for Helena.” She sighed and took a quick breath. “And I just got to know Sienna in the last two years.”
Sienna reached for her hand and smiled. She held no grudges. She’d grown up knowing nothing about her mother’s family. No one even told her she had a grandmother until Gretchen contacted her one day while she was a freshman in college. She’d come home to make peace with her family and to die in the town where she’d been born.
“I made you an apple pie,” Sienna said.
; Gretchen lifted her withered hands and pressed her palms together. “I was hoping you would, dear.” Then she turned to Avenir and said, “She has the gift. She makes these magical pies that both heal and reassure you at the same time.”
Sienna shook her head. “Please. It’s just an apple pie.” She hated it when people fussed over her pies. She hated the attention so much that she’d even considered not making them anymore.
Gretchen pointed her index finger and lowered her eyebrows. “You have the gift. I know. My own grandmother had it and it’s come out again in you.”
Avenir smiled and said, “I believe in magic.”
Sienna ignored him on purpose and said, “How are you feeling today, Grandmother?”
But before Gretchen had a chance to reply, Avenir said, “Your grandmother has been telling me all about your famous artist grandfather, Bill Blye.”
Gretchen sighed. “He wasn’t the best husband, but he was the best postmodern artist of his time. I’ve been painting all my life and I’ve never been able to compare to him.”
“Too bad we never received any money from his work,” Sienna said. She was cynical about her famous grandfather. She’d never met him. His work was now considered priceless, and his family was struggling to live on fixed incomes. Just talking about him made her heart sink with bitterness.
Gretchen lifted her arms slowly and banged her fists on the arm of the wing chair. “You’re not looking,” she shouted. “You have to look.”
“Look for what?” Avenir asked. He leaned forward and sat on the edge of the chair.
Sienna sighed. “Grandmother thinks one of my grandfather’s paintings is hidden somewhere here in town, and she believes there’s a will attached to it.”
“I know there is,” Gretchen said. “I know that your mother had one of his paintings, the one he cherished the most, and she told me she was hiding her will with the painting to make sure you and your brother would always be taken care of if anything ever happened to her. It’s hidden somewhere, and I’ll bet the mayor is still looking for it.” She pointed her finger at Sienna again and said, “And if you find it first, you’ll be able to kick him and the rest of that awful family out onto the street where they belong.”